The World seen from elsewhere (2/6)
How do other countries around the world view the 2022 World Cup in Qatar? Is it debated in the same way as in Europe, and are the calls for a boycott as virulent there? Answer with the correspondents of “Libé” in Mexico, Senegal, Tunisia, Japan, United States, and Brazil.
The news spread like wildfire: injured, Sadio Mané, the playing master of the Lions of Senegal, during a match in the German league on November 8? “There were trays, special editions, a message from the President, recital ceremonies of the Koran so that it was restored in time”, lists sports journalist Moussa Diop. The national team doctor has finally confirmed the withdrawal of the star striker from Bayern Munich, second in the classification of the last Ballon d’Or, three days before the Lions’ first match against the Netherlands (this Monday, at 4 p.m. hours). Like many of his compatriots, Moussa Diop has none “not slept all night”.
The soap opera will have vampirized the debates as the start of the World Cup approaches, eclipsing the subjects which inflame several European countries. Officially, no Senegalese national would have died on the Qatari construction sites. In the country, the working conditions of workers are also questionable, especially on the construction sites of the new town of Diamniadio, President Macky Sall’s flagship project to relieve congestion in Dakar. “We are very far from French issues”, summarizes Oumar Diallo, crossed in the Sicap-Baobab district, a jersey flocked with the name of captain Kalidou Koulibaly on the back. In the big places of Dakar, the debates turn rather on how to reorganize the team in the absence of Sadio Mané.
Two Muslim countries, gas exporters
Unlike Dubai, capital of the United Arab Emirates in which several thousand Senegalese nationals live, Qatar prints less locally. However, some observers see this Gulf country as a source of inspiration. The emirate of three million inhabitants has managed to organize the queen competition of the most popular sport in the world, after having built its economy on the exploitation of oil and gas. An example that Senegal, 17 million inhabitants, would dream of following, which should deliver its first barrels of oil and cubic meters of gas on the international market from next year.
Read the first episode of the series
Another common point: Islam is the predominant religion in both countries. Homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment. Wearing an armband in support of the LGBT+ cause is an absolute non-debate. In the spring, the Senegalese population united to defend international midfielder Idrissa Gueye after his refusal to wear a rainbow-colored jersey during a match with PSG, against the tide, once again , European reactions.
“One of the rare outlets”
Scandal around the jerseys, however, it has recently been discussed in the media and on Senegalese social networks. In question, the price of the original jersey presented by the Senegalese football federation, at the price of 45,000 CFA francs per unit (about 68 euros), or the monthly salary of many locals. Most supporters have fallen back on the counterfeits that are flooding the markets. An episode that says a lot about the economic difficulties of the country, already tested by the pandemic, then by the consequences of the war in Ukraine. During October, the price of foodstuffs rose by 17.3%.
“Football is one of the rare outlets of a country whose daily life is extremely difficult”, believes Hamidou Ly, founder of a digital media around football. If until recently, the population was still overjoyed on the first victory in their history in the African Cup of Nations, the injury of Sadio Mané showered the ambient enthusiasm. Without their headlight, the Lions will have to bare their fangs.
Senegal has however planned things in a big way, with the installation of several fan-zones in each of the 46 departments; a device on a scale rarely equaled – while the government financed the trip of 150 supporters to Doha. “In Senegal, everyone needs this breath of fresh airsummarizes Aliou Diallo, who sells jerseys at the Ouakam market in Dakar. The continent is counting on us.”